Mark Cavendish's Best Moment in His Tour Career — Winning Stage 4 of the 2021 Tour de France
Editor’s note: Mark Cavendish won the fourth stage of the 2021 Tour de France on June 29—and that victory is probably the best moment in his Tour career.
The Manx Missile is officially back. Mark Cavendish, who holds the record for most mass finish Tour de France stage wins (30), will return to the Tour starting this Saturday. It’s been a two-year absence for Cavendish due to health issues, underperformance, and difficulty in securing a world tour contract. The British sprinter got the surprise call-up after his teammate and sprinter Sam Bennett was dropped from the roster.
This last-minute selection is a phenomenal achievement, considering Cavendish, 36, had been written off from Deceuninck-Quick Step’s roster just a few months ago. And with a stacked lineup of sprinters—including top contender Caleb Ewan—even if Cav is not the fastest, his lead-out train, chauffeured by Michael M?rk?v, could be his ticket to sprint contention. So watch out for stages 3, 4, and 6 in the first week of the Tour; unless the breakaway steals the victory, all three stages should close with a sprinters’ showdown.
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“No. Words. Can. Describe. How. I. Feel. I will do absolutely everything to honor these #thewolfpack boys, the Deceuninck-Quickstep Team jersey, and the greatest race on the planet,” expressed Cavendish on an Instagram post earlier this week.
In the meantime, while you scramble to fine-tune your fantasy team before tomorrow’s start, we put together a list of Mark Cavendish’s best and worst moments in Tour de France history. Enjoy.
His Very First Win - 2008 Stage 5
As a second-year pro and 23 years old at the time, Cavendish went early after seeing Mark Renshaw (his future lead-out man) advance Thor Hushovd (Crédit Agricole) into the sprint. He kept looking under his wheel to see where his rivals were but did not need to worry because they were all behind and unable to match his finishing speed. He ended up winning a total of four stages during that year’s Tour.
The Telephone Call Post-up - 2009 Stage 3
This one is known as one of the most memorable and flamboyant post-up celebrations, which honored new team sponsor and American cell phone maker HTC. From about 60 kilometers out, HTC put the peloton under pressure by driving a hard pace all the way to the finish, where Cavendish repaid their efforts arriving at the line in first place and just in time to “call” home to mum. With his left hand pointing repeatedly at his new sponsor, it was a gesture that surely made his sponsors happy. (Fast forward to 2:55)
The Champs-élysées Win - 2009 Stage 21
On this day, the only one able to keep up with Cavendish on the finish-line stretch was the camera person. With this win, Cavendish confirmed his status as the fastest sprinter at the time, while Mark Renshaw was labeled the best lead-out man in the business, without a doubt. Basically, the whole HTC train proved yet again to be the most dialed sprinter’s train in cycling’s history. (Fast forward to minute 2:45)
The Head Butt - 2010 Stage 11
Renshaw gets disqualified from the rest of the Tour after headbutting members from Garmin Slipstream while leading Cavendish into the win. Even without his best man around after this incident, Cav went on to win two more stages of that year’s Tour.
The Green Jersey Competition - 2011 Stage 21
By unleashing his sprint inside 200 meters to go and taking an unprecedented third consecutive victory on the Champs-élysées, Cavendish became the first-ever British rider to win the green jersey competition! He has not won another points competition since.
No Leadout, No Problem - 2012 Stage 18
After sacrificing teammates early in the race, Cavendish wins without a lead-out train. In his World Champs jersey, he leapfrogged from one rider's draft to the next and started his sprint from the 10th wheel. With this incredible win, he tied the previous record of most Tour de France mass finish wins by French cyclist André Darrigade.
Most Soul-Crushing - 2014 Stage 1
For fans of the Manx Missile, this was a hard stage to watch, as Cavendish crashed out of contention in the opening sprint and was forced to drop out with a separated shoulder. The video shows him making contact with Simon Gerrans before the line, with both riders hitting the deck as Marcel Kittel went on to win the stage. Cavendish admitted he was to blame for the crash. (Fast forward to 2:07)
The First Comeback - 2015 Stage 7
After a week of frustration and near misses, Cavendish took the victory in a hectic sprint, ahead of André Greipel and Peter Sagan. This win marked his comeback after the frustration in 2014. (Fast forward to 2:27)
His First Yellow Jersey - 2016 Stage 1
This win was Cavendish’s 27th career stage victory, and the first time he got to wear the yellow jersey at the Tour. It’s also one of the many times he left sprinters Marcel Kittel and Peter Sagan in the dust. Ouch.
The Elbow - 2017 Stage 4
One of the most controversial crashes in recent Tour de France history. Cav dropped out of the race after fracturing his scapula in a crash that led to Peter Sagan's disputable disqualification. To this date, the cycling world is still divided about who was at fault.
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